Seven Days
by shinsei101
Summary: After 3 years in Makai, Yusuke returns as promised only to find Keiko is engaged to another man. With only 7 days until the wedding, will Yusuke be able to change her mind or is it already too late? COMPLETE!
1. Sunday: Broken Promise

_Hello everybody! Shinsei here, all by my lonesome! The idea for this fanfic just came to me...I don't know how, but I really like it and hope all of you will as well. In my personal opinion, I like this Yusuke/Keiko fic much more than my first one. And I hope all of you will enjoy it as much as me! First off, I wanna say that Yusuke might act slightly ooc, but not too much. It's just the situations that I put him in that make him that way (heh heh)._

Disclaimer: _I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or anything like that...siiigh (cast of yyh cheers in background) but maybe some day! (cast of yyh boos shinsei and throws rocks at her)_

**WARNING: THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS FANFIC OF THE MAKAI TOURNAMENT SAGA! IF YOU DONT WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS, UNFORTUNATELY, THIS FANFIC IS NOT FOR YOU. HOWEVER, IF YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS OR JUST DONT CARE, READ AWAY AND ENJOY!**

* * *

**  
Seven Days**

Chapter 1: (Sunday) Broken Promise

* * *

A hot gust of wind picked up, blowing across the barren land. A single figure trudged along, sneezing as the dirt from the ground blew up around him. The dark clouds swirled ominously in the red sky overhead as the figure made his was toward a huge boulder jutting out in the middle of the otherwise flat land Once he reached the rock, the lone figure dropped the bag that was draped across his shoulder and stared at a large black gravestone that was nestled at the base of the massive boulder.

"It's over, old man. And I lost."

A ghostly image of the once mighty king of Makai appeared, sitting on his gravestone and smirking. "And you thought you could win? It's too soon. You'll be up to winning in three hundred years. What are you going to do with your life, Yusuke?"

"Practice, of course."

"To win the next combat... Are you planning to travel around?"

The teenager looked thoughtful for a moment. "Travel? That's a good idea...really good idea."

"Makai is a very large world."

"Yeah...but I got a promise to keep. So I'll be leaving." Raizen merely nodded before slowly disappearing to continue his eternal rest. Yusuke continued to stare at the grave, mentally preparing himself for what he had to do next. A slight cough from behind him brought him back to reality.

"Hokushin," Yusuke started, knowing who it was even without turning. "I've got some private stuff to do, so I'm on my way. But someday I'll drop by, okay?"

The faithful demon nodded gravely. "I understand. We will all be looking forward to that day. Until then...farewell." As the last word hung in the air, Yusuke turned in time to see Hokushin along with three others leave in a blur.

With a heavy sigh, Yusuke glanced off to the horizon and watched as the sun sank slowly behind the distant mountains.

* * *

A loud, shrill bell rang out, echoing through the empty hallways. Instantly, the quiet halls were replaced by a mob of noisy high schoolers, all eager to get home and start their summer vacation. In the auditorium, the large group of students wearing long black gowns, tossed their tasseled hats in the air and hollered happily. As the gowned group steadily made their way out of the school for the last time, a particular orange-haired graduate took a moment to gaze at the building around him. He quickly bent down to grab his hat before following the rest of the people out of the building.

Once outside, the graduates were met with loud cheers coming from a large group of family members and fellow classmates. From there, the group of students separated as they all scattered around the front of the school. Kuwabara turned around to grab a final look at his high school before searching out through the crowd for his sister. A strong breeze suddenly blew through the schoolyard, yanking Kuwabara's hat from his hands. In a panic, he raced through the throngs of people in a desperate search for his tasseled graduation cap.

"Looking for this?"

Kuwabara froze. Slowly, he turned around to find a smirking boy standing behind him, twirling his cap around on his finger. Kuwabara's eyes widened in disbelief.

"U-Urameshi!"

"In the flesh," Yusuke laughed, tossing Kuwabara his cap back. Kuwabara snatched his hat before another gust of wind took it again.

"How...when...you..."

Yusuke rolled his eyes as he stuffed his hands into his jean pockets. "For just graduating, you sure don't sound all that smart."

Kuwabara tucked his hat under his arm. "You're still the same delinquent."

"And you're still the same dumb jackass."

* * *

"You _all _lost!"

Yusuke sighed as he continued down the street. "Yea...all of us. Kurama, Hiei, Jin, Chuu, everybody. Speaking of...how's everybody been here?"

Kuwabara shrugged. "Same. 'Course everybody's graduating and looking for colleges and jobs and stuff. Guess everyone's busier."

Yusuke nodded thoughtfully. "So...how's Keiko?"

Kuwabara suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Uh...she's...great. Yea, doing just fine. Last time I checked at least..."

"That's good..."

"Uh, if you wanna talk to her...she's outta town...with some...friends. No...wait, her...friends...are visiting her...at her house."

"Oh." A very uneasy silence hung over the two the rest of the way to Kuwabara's house. They parted in silence as well; Kuwabara turned toward his front door and Yusuke just walked on down the street.

Kuwabara watched Yusuke until he disappeared out of sight over the hill. He shook his head sadly. _Wonder what he'll do when he finds out..._

* * *

The sun gradually made its way down its usual path in the sky, stealing away most of the light as it went. Yusuke continued trudging down the empty sidewalk as the street lights eventually flickered on. There was no wind to cool the sweltering summer night, but despite the heat, Yusuke felt a shiver run down his spine and the hairs on the back of his neck stick up.

_Someone's here..._

"Yusuke!"

Yusuke turned at the sound of his name to see a small girl come flying towards him. He braced himself for impact but instead of being tackled to the ground, the girl simply flew through him. Yusuke turned around to face the girl, who was now hovering above the ground so that she was slightly above him. Her hands rested on her hips as she glowered down at him.

"S-Sayaka!" He finally managed to choke out.

"Well _duh_," Sayaka retorted. She was exactly the same as their last encounter. She wore the same pastel colored nightgown with no shoes. Her black hair fell down almost to her waist and her blue eyes flashed dangerously.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here!"

"Gee, nice to see you too," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I thought Botan took you to heaven!" He studied her for a moment. "Or are you just such a brat that you're not fit for heaven? Saying one last good bye before they ship you off to hell?"

"NO!" she screamed and tried to hit him, but only succeeded in passing through him again. As Yusuke laughed at her, Sayaka's cheeks turned bright pink and she struggled to keep her composure. "If I had to say good bye to anyone, it most certainly would not be _you_!"

"Riiiight," Yusuke said, wiping his eyes. "I really am glad to see you're doing well–"

"Don't try that with me! You probably forgot all about me!"

"Puh-leeese!" Yusuke smirked. "Who could forget a brat like you? Do you need another spanking?"

Sayaka stuck her tongue out at him. "I see why Keiko would dump–" Hastily she cut off, her hands smacking up to her mouth.

"What? What about Keiko? Sayaka! Answer me!"

Sayaka sighed, her finger casually twisting a strand of her hair. "That's why I'm here." Immediately she flew up close to Yusuke to the point where their noses almost touched. "Yusuke, you _lied_ to me!"

"W-what?"

"Remember before Botan took me to heaven? I said you had to marry Keiko and you had to have four kids," she said, holding up four fingers, "two boys and two girls. Remember?"

"Uh, yea," Yusuke said, dumbstruck. "I haven't seen Keiko since I got back from Makai, so there hasn't been much time for...that kinda stuff."

Sayaka opened her mouth to speak, but she suddenly started to disappear. "Oh! Sorry Yusuke! Botan and Koenma arranged this meeting for us, but my time limit on earth has been exhausted! But Yusuke- you have to know! You broke our promise–" Before she could say anymore, the last bit of her body vanished into the darkness of the night, leaving Yusuke twice as confused as before.

* * *

As the night deepened, Yusuke found himself restless. His body screamed for him to go home and rest, but his mind refused to listen. Too many things swirled around in his head for him to get any sleep that night. He still had no idea why Sayaka had shown up but he was sure it had something to do with Keiko. Why else would she be so pissed at him? He also had a nagging feeling that Kuwabara had been hiding something from him. Fearing the worst, Yusuke decided to stop by the Yukimura residence and check up on them.

_Besides_, Yusuke thought, _I haven't seen Keiko yet. Can't wait to see the look on her face!_ He snickered to himself at the thought of seeing her reaction at himself popping up at her house at such and ungodly hour after so long.

By now, a light drizzle had begun to fall. Yusuke sighed and pulled up the hood on his jacket as he made his was down the familiar street to the Yukimura house.

To his surprise, as he approached Keiko's house, the lights in the lower restaurant were on and he could here voices coming from inside. As he got closer, the sign on the door still read 'open', so Yusuke let himself in, making sure his hood covered his face.

The bell above the door jangled as it opened. No one was in sight but Yusuke heard a rattle of pots in the kitchen area and the thump of footsteps coming his way. Mr. Yukimura glanced at him over the counter the same time Keiko popped her head from the doorway leading to her bedroom. Yusuke was happy to see Mr. Yukimura hadn't changed a bit other than the fact his hair seemed a to have a slight gray tint. But it wasn't the old man behind the counter that made his heart skip a beat.

Keiko stepped fully out of the doorway and offered him a shy, welcoming smile. Her brown eyes were still as dazzling and full of life as he remembered, but her brown hair had grown out passed her shoulders. Being a boy and just being himself, he couldn't help but notice how her nicely she filled out the pink dress she was wearing.

"I'm sorry, but we're closed." Mr. Yukimura's voice snapped Yusuke out of his daze.

"Dad," Keiko's voice nearly stopped Yusuke's heart. "You left the sign on 'open' again." She turned back to Yusuke and said, "I'm so sorry. It's really late and we're not serving anymore today." Mr. Yukimura added a curt nod of agreement. Yusuke couldn't contain himself anymore.

"Not even one measly meal for a stranger like me?"

The dish Mr. Yukimura had been holding fell to the ground with a loud crash. Keiko stared at him, her mouth hanging open.

"Y-Yusuke?"

Yusuke yanked his wet hood off and smiled broadly at the two. "Who else?" Instead of the hug he had hoped for, Keiko quickly looked down at her feet. Yusuke opened his mouth to speak, but Mr. Yukimura cut him off.

"Yusuke! What a wonderful surprise! I remember the last time you were in here like it was yesterday..." He went on, chattering about random memories to him as Yusuke sat himself down. As her father talked, Yusuke snuck a glance at Keiko. She had moved down to the floor and was cleaning up the shattered remains of the broken dish. She kept her eyes firmly to the ground, purposely avoiding his gaze.

"...and then you said you'd return in three years! And what do you know! You did!" Mr. Yukimura finally finished, his face flushed red from talking so much.

"Well what did you expect?" Yusuke said casually. "I gave you my word. I said I would be back in three years, so I came." Keiko had finished picking up the pieces and was now making her way past him to the trash bin. As she walked by him, he whispered for her ears only, "And I also intend to keep the rest of my promise." He looked back at Keiko as he said this. She stopped and stiffened momentarily before continuing to the trash. She finally turned to him, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears.

"Hey Keiko! What's going on?" Everyone's attention snapped to the doorway to Keiko's room where a stranger to Yusuke stood. Yusuke stared at him; he was what women might consider good looking. His tone body and great abs showed easily through his tight white shirt. His blonde hair was neatly combed and his green eyes flashed as they swept over the room before coming to rest on Yusuke. He made a sour face before rudely demanding, "Who are you?"

Yusuke returned his glare. "I could ask the same." Obviously feeling the tension in the air, Keiko quickly jumped between the two. First she turned to the blonde.

"Rokuro, this is my friend Yusuke. Remember the one I told you about? The one I knew since I was little?" The man named Rokuro nodded at her, his face lightening as he offered Yusuke an apologizing smile. Yusuke continued to stare suspiciously at the man; he didn't like the look in his eye when he looked at Keiko. Finally Keiko turned slowly to face Yusuke.

"Yusuke...this is Rokuro. He's...he's my...my fiancee."

* * *

_Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!I have some exciting and funny (at least to me) parts coming up, so please stay tuned! Also, I really wanna know what you guys think, so please review or even email me if you want at the address on my profile page. I dont mind emails, but reviews are preferred! Thanks again!_


	2. Monday: Three Simple Words

_Hello folks! Here's a heads-up on how this story is set up(in case you haven't noticed yet). Every chapter is going to be a day. Remember, Yusuke only has seven days from the day he returns (which was sunday). A little note: the wedding for Keiko is on Saturday. I know the title for this part isMonday, butits starts out as a continuation of the the last day (sunday) but once you reach the point with Keiko in the car, that starts Monday (actually its monday night). In case you're still confused, I'll put the day in italics when it changes. Sorry for the confusion!_**

* * *

**

Seven Days

Chapter 2: (Monday) Three Simple Words

* * *

_(Sunday night...continuation from last chapter)  
_  
"Y-your..._what_?" Yusuke finally managed to choke out, staring at Keiko in disbelief. Instead of answering, Keiko averted her gaze away from Yusuke and back to Rokuro.

"My fiancee," the blonde said, moving toward Keiko and draping his arm around her shoulders. The sight of the two standing so close was enough to make Yusuke's stomach churn.

"When did this happen?" Yusuke was surprised as the calmness in his voice.

"About a year and a half ago...a little more."

_Not even two years since I leave and she gives up on me._ Yusuke had never felt such devastation. In the past, when he caused something to happen to Keiko, he felt horribly guilty, but that was nothing compared to now. He felt completely empty, except for a pain that pounded in time with his heart. For the first time in his life, Yusuke felt completely hopeless.

"Well...it's kinda late," Keiko said softly. "I'll just head home now."

Yusuke remained silent as she walked past him to grab her raincoat that hung by the door. He lowered his head as Rokuro slipped his arm around her waist and the two made their way out the restaurant together.

"Here."

Yusuke's head snapped up as Mr. Yukimura placed a plate full of steaming food before him. "I'm really not that hungry..."

"You look pale. You need food Yusuke. When was the last time you ate a decent meal?" For that, Yusuke had no answer. Instead of protesting, he grabbed a pair of chopsticks before slowly picking at his food.

"I've never seen you like this Yusuke." Yusuke glanced up at the old man, who was studying Yusuke from behind the counter.

"Yeah, well I've never felt like this before."

"I'm really sorry. I always thought you'd come back from...wherever...someday." The old man sighed and turned to wash the dirty dishes that lay in the sink.

"Obviously Keiko didn't."

Mr. Yukimura sighed again before running his hand through his thin gray hair. "I don't know what got into her."

"You mean you don't approve?" The thought that someone hated the relationship as much as him suddenly gave Yusuke his appetite back; he began shoveling the food into his mouth.

"I dunno what got into that girl...its not that I don't like Rokuro...he's a great help around here and I think he truly loves my daughter, but...I just didn't think she'd change her mind so fast."

Yusuke pushed the empty plate back and stood up. "Maybe she never had to change her mind. I never gave her any reason to need to."

"Please Yusuke! You may have been kidding around with that proposal before you left, but that girl treasured your words! I'd always tell her you didn't mean it–" Yusuke glared over at him and Mr. Yukimura held up his hands defensively, "–but she'd always say that you'd come back. I may not have always had complete faith, but Keiko always did."

"Until she met that bastard...what's-his-face," Yusuke spat.

"I'm telling you, I don't know why Rokuro was different from the rest."

"The _rest_?"

"Keiko always had some boy following her back here and trying to take her on a date. She'd always refuse and say she had a boyfriend. Some were more stubborn than others. They'd argue that they never saw her with any guy, but she never listened to them," Mr. Yukimura shook his head.

Yusuke decided to change the subject, "So...she doesn't stay here anymore?"

"What? Oh! No, she has an apartment down close to the subway station...I have the address somewhere," Mr. Yukimura began digging through all the drawers, yanking out the contents and scattering them on the counter top. "Ah ha! Here is it," he handed the small, crumpled slip of paper to Yusuke. Yusuke nodded his thanks as he stuffed the paper in his pocket.

"Would you mind if...I took a look up in her room?"

Mr. Yukimura shrugged, busily trying to fit all the assortment of junk back into the drawers.

Yusuke slowly made his way toward her bedroom door. The hallway was too dark to see clearly, but he had been through her house so many times, he knew the way by heart. Before he knew it, her was up the stairs and standing with his hand on the doorknob. Taking a deep breath, Yusuke twisted the knob and took a step in the room.

The curtains over the windows were pulled back, light from the outside street lamps shining in the room. The furniture was the same as he remember, just rearranged differently. Yusuke make his way across the soft carpet and sat down on the chair at her desk. A neat stack of papers sat in the center of the desktop. Curiosity drove him to finger through them, only to discover they were blank. Next, Yusuke opened the drawers; the left held only pens and pencils, but the right was very messy. Papers practically exploded out the minute he opened it. Picking one up, he found it was a letter written to Keiko from himself. As he read through it, the memories flooded back to him. Scanning the other papers, he discovered they were all letters from him; some dating back as far back to when they were in kindergarten.

As he picked up the last letter, a single picture fluttered to the ground. Yusuke carefully laid the letters back in the drawer before bending down to pick up the photo. Yusuke smiled as he turned it over.

_Well Keiko...maybe you never gave up after all, _Yusuke thought, placing the picture of himself back in the stack of letters.

* * *

_(Monday! Its been a whole day since the part above)_

The rain beat down hard, pounding on the windows of the car. Keiko stared out at as a flash of lightning lit up the sky. Her mind couldn't focus on the date she'd just gone on, but continued to flicker back to the previous night.

_Yusuke...you really came back..._

The car eased to a stop and Keiko jumped as a hand landed on her shoulder. "Keiko? Are you alright?" Rokuro asked, concern filling his voice.

"It's nothing," she replied, brushing his hand off her shoulder.

"Keiko...why are you acting like this?"

Keiko chose to ignore him as she fumbled with her seatbelt buckle.

"It's because of Yusuke, isn't it?"

Keiko froze. The buckle suddenly slipped out of her hands and snapped up, hitting her nose on its way. Rokuro immediately yanked out his handkerchief and flipped on the indoor car light.

"It's nothing," she said again, waving off his helping hands.

Rokuro sighed and turned off the ignition before pushing open his door and stepping out into the cold rain, umbrella in hand. As he made his way to her side, Keiko opened her door as well and stepped out next to him under the umbrella. Together they walked up the slippery steps of Keiko's apartment building to the door.

"Keiko...I know something's bothering you. And I'm going to stand here until you tell me what it is."

Keiko felt unreasonable annoyance at her fiancee. "Then I suggest you get comfortable," she told him dryly. She turned to door, but Rokuro grabbed her arm and yanked her back closer to him.

"It _is_ Yusuke, isn't it?" Keiko turned her head to stare at the ground. "Keiko! Answer me!"

"I...I just thought he really wasn't going to come back...you told me...back when you asked me to marry you that he wouldn't return," Keiko snapped her head up and glared at him. "Now I don't know why I listened to you! What would _you_ know about Yusuke!"

"Enough to know he doesn't return your feelings."

Keiko's eyes widened and she opened her mouth, but found it dry.

"Keiko," Rokuro said softly, grasping her hands with his own, "I did tell you the truth back then. Yusuke wouldn't return– not the way you thought. Sure, he might come back to Tokyo, but that doesn't mean he'd come back to _you_."

Keiko yanked her hands away, "What are you talking about? Of course Yusuke came back to see me, just like he promised! He loves me!"

"Has he ever told you that?"

Keiko started to say yes, but as she searched her memory, she couldn't recall a single time Yusuke has told her those three, simple words. Her heart sank as she said, "No..."

"Then what makes you think he does?" Rokuro said coldly, turning back toward his car. "Keiko. I love you. I've done everything to make you see that. But I can tell you that Yusuke doesn't love you. Now which would you rather have? A man that can give you the love you deserve, or a teenage delinquent that's just toying with you?"

Keiko didn't answer, but simply stared at the car as it started up and drove down the street, all the while the rain showering down on her. As the car disappeared around the corner, she raised her head up to sky and let the rain wash the tears off her face.

* * *

_Hey everybody, I'm so sorry for the confusion! I hope the notes in italics helped! Anywho, I really hoped you enjoyed the story! Please don't forget to review! Btw- thanks to all who reviewed last time!_


	3. Tuesday: Mudpies!

_Hello again! I'm having so much fun with this story, I'm updating so much faster than usual! I'm planning on starting chapter 4 right after I finish posting this one. Also, thanks to all those that reviewed! Man...I have nothing else to say. Gee, that's a first! Enjoy!_**

* * *

**

Seven Days

Chapter 3: (Tuesday) Mudpies!

* * *

Water leaked lightly down from the clouds, drizzling over Tokyo on the foggy morning. Yusuke pulled his hood down lower over his head, mentally cursing the sky, clouds, and rain. Finally reaching the address on the slip of paper, Yusuke jogged up the steps and rang the bell for room 124. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest as he heard the padding of footsteps coming down the stairs toward the door. The door swung open to reveal a brunette wearing a light green bathrobe. It took her a moment to register who was standing before her, and when she did, her brown eyes narrowed and she placed her arms across her chest.

"What do you want?"

"Well, nice to see you too Keiko," Yusuke said dryly, stepping passed her into the hallway and shaking off a bit.

"Watch it!" Keiko warned as water flung off Yusuke's jacket toward her. She turned to stare out at the street. "It's raining again? Its been raining all week...I hope it stops by Saturday..."

Yusuke felt his good mood slip at the mention of Saturday; Keiko's wedding day. Glancing down at her hand, he couldn't help but notice a very large diamond ring. "It's been raining since the day I got back," he said casually.

Keiko shut the door and gave him a smile. "I'll take that as some sort of a sign..."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Keiko laughed and started up the stairs, signaling Yusuke to follow her. "So Yusuke. What are you doing here?"

"To see you of course."

Keiko felt her heart skip a beat. "R-really?"

"Yeah. We haven't seen each other in about three years, so I thought we could spend the day together. You know...catch up on each others lives."

Keiko turned to smile down at him. "Yeah. I'd like that a lot."

* * *

By late afternoon, the sprinkling rain had finally come to a stop, and for the first time in days, the sun peeking it head from behind the clouds. Keiko lowered her purple umbrella and closed it, shaking the droplets off. Yusuke took his raincoat, shoes, and socks off and laid them on the wet grass as he began walking down the riverbank.

"Yusuke," Keiko warned, "it's muddy down there!"

"Then take your shoes off. It'll be easier to walk," Yusuke replied up to her. Keiko sighed; she could tell he had no intention of listening to her if she tried to object. She carefully pulled off her shoes and socks and laid them neatly by her umbrella.

"So tell me," she started, hopping down the slope and trying to avoid most of the mud. "how did things go in Makai? I talked to Botan recently...she said there was some sort of tournament. Was it like the one before?"

"Not really," Yusuke answered. "Being similar, I mean. The point wasn't to kill for the hell of it. It's to decide the next king of Makai. I just introduced the idea to be like human democracy."

"Sorry to break it to you Yusuke, but our politicians don't decide the winner that way."

"I know." He turned to face her as she tiptoed through the slick mud over his way. "Did you know everyone was there? Chuu, Jin, Rinku, Touya...Suzuka and Shishi."

"What about Kurama and Hiei?"

"Do you think they _wouldn't_ go?" Yusuke turned and continued walking down the muddy path.

"Botan told me about the three kings...but she didn't tell me what happened during the tournament," Keiko said, quickly catching herself from falling face-first into the mud.

"She didn't? Well Hiei ended up fighting Mukuro. He lost, but put up a damn good fight...even the Jaou Ensatsu Kokuryuhaa couldn't stand up to that demoness..." Yusuke shook his head at the as the memories from the tournament came rushing back to him. "But Mukuro lost later. I fought against Yomi, but lost. But lemme tell ya,"he smirked, cracking his knuckles, "that was the best fight I've ever been in. Yomi ended up losing later too. Enki, a good friend of my ancestral dad, beat him...now he's the king of Makai."

Keiko nodded, letting the new information sink in. "I'm sorry you lost."

Yusuke glanced over his shoulder at her. "Would you rather I won and became king there?"

Keiko snapped her mouth shut, wishing she could take back her words.

Yusuke smiled at her. "So..." his smile slipped a bit. "How'd you meet that Rokuro guy?"

"Uh, it's a long story..."

"We've got time."

Keiko looked at Yusuke, wondering why he cared about her fiancee. In fact, the story wasn't very long, but she felt so odd talking to Yusuke about matters like that. "Well I wanted to move out and live in my own apartment. I didn't have any money, so I started tutoring people in school. I had a lot of boys from the nearby all-boys school coming to me for help...but the real reason they wanted lessons wasn't to learn," her cheeks burned at the memories. "Then I started giving lessons to Rokuro...I guess we...uh..."

"Hit it off?"

Keiko glanced anxiously over at Yusuke who had stopped and bend down. He picked through the mud, looking for rocks. Finding a suitable one, he threw it. Keiko watched at it skipped across the murky water, nearly making it to the other side before plunging into the depths of the river.

"Yeah...I guess you could say that..." Keiko suddenly became very uncomfortable. Spending the day alone with another guy wasn't the best behavior for an engaged girl. She felt the sudden urge to run back up the slope, grab her things, and go back home. Glancing over at Yusuke, she decided that would be rude.

"Yusuke?"

"Hmm?"

"I...want to go home..."

He turned to her, a large bit of mud still in his hand from searching for rocks. "Why?"

Keiko felt herself grow even more uneasy. "I...I, uh, just don't feel like it's right..."

Yusuke stood up, mud slopping between his fingers as his fist closed around it. "What?" he said, anger rising in his voice. "You can't go somewhere and talk with a friend you haven't seen in three years? Are you afraid your jackass of a boyfriend is gunna get mad at you!" In his frustration, Yusuke raised his hand and threw the mud ball at Keiko.

_SPLAT!_

The ball of mud hit her chest and began sliding down her shirt, leaving a behind a brown trail on her white shirt. They both stared as the mud eventually lost hold and landed back on the ground with a sickening squish sound. As Yusuke began to laugh, Keiko bent down, scooped up a handful of mud and chunked it at Yusuke, hitting him square in the face.

"You wanna play like that, huh?" Yusuke smirked, wiping the mud off his face as he grabbed another handful of mud.

At those words, the mud began to fly. Yusuke had a poor aim and usually ended up hitting Keiko's legs or arms, but he was faster; throwing double what Keiko did. However, Keiko had very good aim, taking her time to throw and usually getting Yusuke's face or chest. After ten minutes of the furious fight, both collapsed on the ground laughing, brown from head to toe.

* * *

"What happened!"

Rokuro stared at the muddy duo laughing at the apartment doorstep. He glared at Yusuke before turning back to his beloved mud-caked Keiko. "We were supposed to meet for dinner...I've been waiting for nearly three hours now!"

Keiko offered him a brown smile. "Sorry. I was just catching up with missed time with Yusuke."

This seemed to make the clean person furious. "Yusuke! Of course! Keiko, how did you become friends with such a sloppy, irresponsible–"

"I am right here you know." Yusuke retorted, glaring daggers at Rokuro.

"Of course I know."

"Rokuro! Don't you ever say something like that again!" Yusuke and Rokuro both turned in surprise to the fuming Keiko. "You have no right to say something like that about one of my friends!"

Rokuro opened his mouth to talk to her, but she shoved past him, leaving a streak of mud on his otherwise spotless shirt. Yusuke reached out and grabbed Rokuro's hand, shaking it. "I'll be going now. I'm glad we had this talk."

Rokuro gasped in disgust as Yusuke pulled his hand away. In its place sat a very large, dripping chunk of mud Yusuke had pulled from his pocket. "What is _this_!"

Yusuke smiled broadly at him. "It's called a mudpie."

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed this one-it was fun to write. The mud-fight idea was originally for my first yyh fanfic (envy), but that story changed drastically, and sadly, the mud-fight never happened...until now! I really wanted to put it in some story, so wa-la! Here it is (or there it was...)_


	4. Wednesday: Roses and Lollipops

_Sorry! It took longer than I though to post this! I had it written out shortly after the last one, but then I changed my mind and rewrote it...I like this one now...and I hope all of you will too! Three more! I'm counting down now--and really excited. So far I'm not sure how I'm going to end it. Happy or sad, Yusuke or Rokuro...yall choose. If ya review, tell me what ya want! Thanx!_

DiScLaImEr:  
**me:** /sigh/ this is painful to admit...I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho!  
**yusuke:** good thing! otherwise we'd all be screwed!  
**me: **hey! watch it or i'll make keiko go w/ rokuro!  
**yusuke:** /kisses shinsei's feet/ oh oh! so sorry!

_ok, enough nonsense (ha ha). read on! don't forget to review and tell me how you want this to end!_**

* * *

Seven Days **

Chapter 4: (Wednesday) Roses and Lollipops

* * *

There are two types of people in the world. Those who have a sense of humor and can take a joke, and those who can't. The latter are the kind of people who, if you play just one minor joke on them, such as handing them a mudpie when they are very clean, they will forever hold it against you. The two types of people can never get along very well, which would explain why Rokuro and Yusuke weren't the best of friends. 

It could also be, that they both loved the same woman.

Either way, Yusuke never liked, or even tried to like Rokuro. In his opinion, Keiko had always been _his_ girlfriend, and nothing could ever change that, not even a bit of demon blood in him. No matter how fancy and handsome other guys may be, they could never sever the bond between Keiko and himself.

Which was exactly why Yusuke loathed Rokuro so much. The prat had somehow found a loophole in the relationship, and was now poisoning Keiko's mind with false love and nonsense. The worst part was, she was buying all of it.

Which brings us to Yusuke's dilemma. How was he, a delinquent with demon ancestors, supposed to compete with, as Botan put it, 'a perfect specimen of a man'? Despite all his trying to clean Keiko's mind of these hideous lies Rokuro was feeding her, Keiko was as stubborn as Yusuke himself; refusing to believe her beloved fiancee would do anything like that.

In spite of Botan's earlier remark about Rokuro, Yusuke was willing to forgive her when she showed an unusual amount of wisdom in suggesting someone who could help him. Yusuke mentally kicked himself on the way down the street for not thinking about that 'someone' who could help by himself.

He trudged grumpily behind his cheery blue-haired friend as she skipped up the steps to the front door of the house. As Botan raised her hand to knock, the door swung open.

"Hello Botan, Yusuke. Come on it," Kurama smiled at them as he stepped aside to allow the two to pass. The group made there through the well-lit hallway into the dinning room. To Yusuke's surprise, food covered plates were set at three places. He swung his head to glare at Botan, who gave him a sheepish look in return.

"What?" she laughed uneasily. "I figured while we're here, we could get something to eat...Kurama's a good cook, you know..." Yusuke opened his mouth to argue, but Kurama stopped him by shoving them both into their chairs before taking his own next to Botan.

Yusuke idly picked at his food while Botan chatted with Kurama about everything that was going on back in spirit world. As they talked, Yusuke felt anger and frustration rising up in his stomach. Botan had obviously used him so she could talk to Kurama, having no real intention to help with his situation. But he resisted the urge to fire his rei gun at her; it was Kurama's house after all, and so far the spirit fox had done nothing to deserve the loss of one of his walls.

Instead, Yusuke used his fork to flick peas at Botan. Botan, who had been talking nonstop since they had arrived, didn't notice her plate slowly become covered with the small green vegetable, but Kurama seem to, because he snorted into is glass. Finally, she shut her mouth and turned to begin eating, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise at her pea-covered dinner.

"Now that you're done," Yusuke told her dryly, sitting up a little straighter, "can we talk about more pressing matters? Like what I have to say for instance?"

"Yusuke, what could you say that could possibly considered important?"

Botan and Yusuke nearly fell out of their chairs in shock. Turning, they saw Hiei perched on the sill of the nearby open window.

"H-hiei!" Yusuke stammered, recovering first, "What are _you_ doing here!"

Kurama chuckled, "Before you two arrived, Hiei and I were discussing his...family matters."

Yusuke rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Oh I'm sure that was a fascinating conversation. Must've taken you a while to get Hiei to shut up about his family..." Botan and Kurama snickered but Hiei gave Yusuke a dark look before turning to look out the window.

"Hey Hiei," Yusuke said. Hiei ignored him. "Hello? Hiei?" He continued to ignore him. Yusuke sighed and flicked a pea at the fire youkai. Even though it hit him in the head, Hiei continued to ignore him. Yusuke, not known for his patience, began rapidly flicking his fork, showering Hiei with peas.

Finally, Hiei whirled around and opened his mouth only to have a pea fly in, preventing him from yelling at Yusuke. He coughed a few times and wiped his mouth in disgust.

As Kurama and Botan struggled to hide their smiles, Yusuke smirked openly. "What's the matter Hiei? Don't ya like peas?" Yusuke stopped and thought. "Speaking of...I've never seen you eat Hiei. What do you eat?" Instead of answering, Hiei sat himself back on the sill and glared over at the former spirit detective. Yusuke turned to Kurama for answers, but Kurama hastily changed the subject.

"Uh...Yusuke, what is it you're here for? Help with something?"

"Botan didn't tell you?" Yusuke glared daggers at his blue-haired companion, who was cowering behind the redhead.

Kurama noticed the looks Botan was getting from Yusuke and quickly covered for her. "Oh...you mean advice for your problem with Keiko, right?" Yusuke nodded. "Good...well, what exactly do you need advice for?"

Yusuke sighed and sat down. "Well you know about Rokuro right?" Blank stare. Yusuke resisted the urge to strangle Botan. "He's Keiko's fiancee. She told me she tutored him and then they just hit it off and wa-la! Wedding on Saturday!" he said in mock enthusiasm.

Kurama looked thoughtful as he settled back in his chair. "Are you looking for some way to prevent this?"

"Naw, I wanna be the best man."

"Well...have you tried talking to Rokuro about your relationship with Keiko?"

"I don't think I could get through a sentence without killing him."

"That bad huh...well what about Keiko? Have you talked to her?"

"What's there to talk about," Yusuke said, getting annoyed. He didn't come all the way here just to be drilled with questions with obvious answers.

"About how you feel," Kurama answered in a matter-o-fact voice.

"Aren't I obvious enough?"

Kurama slapped his head. "If you call lying to her, avoiding her at times, and leaving her for three years expressing your feelings, I can see why she'd want someone else." He glanced up to see Yusuke being restrained by Botan on the other side of the table. "Uh...maybe you just need some way to tell her how you feel."

Botan released the calmed Yusuke, letting him fall face-first against the table. "I've got it!" She slapped Yusuke's head. "Listen up! You need to tell Keiko 'I love you'!"

Yusuke sat up and gave her a look like she was crazy. "While I'm sober? Not gunna happen."

"Then you're hopeless," Hiei put in with a smirk.

Yusuke turned on him. "That's great coming from you small fry! You're the one with more family issues than a soap opra!"

Hiei said nothing, but his hand twitched down to the hilt of his katana.

Kurama offered the two an uneasy smile. "Well Yusuke...you do need to tell Keiko how you feel if you want even the smallest chance of getting her back."

"Why don't you just kill Rokuro," Hiei offered casually. Botan looked appalled at the very thought, but Yusuke chuckled softly.

"Um...that would work, but isn't that a little...extreme?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures!" Yusuke exclaimed, jumping to his feet and cracking his knuckles.

Kurama hastily waved him back to his seat. "Uh, maybe an alternative choice would be better..."

Yusuke remained standing. "Like what?"

Kurama smiled slightly as he rose from his chair and began walking to the door, the three other following him. "Tomorrow, at the beach. Take Keiko on a date to the beach."

Yusuke shook his head slowly as he moved out the door. "She won't go for that. Ever since yesterday," he coughed slightly as Kurama arched his eyebrow, "...she refuses to go anywhere alone with me. Goes against the engaged woman's code or something..."

"Who said you'll be alone?" Kurama's grin widened. "Invite her to the beach–along with Kuwabara and some others. It'll be a party...say for her upcoming wedding. Don't worry about the details. I'll take care of everything."

Yusuke smiled, glad he had listened to Botan and come to visit Kurama. If he could trust anyone to help him with such a tricky situation, the clever spirit fox was the best option. As Yusuke went down the steps, he turned and looked back up at the three otherworldly friends that stood looking down at him from the doorway.

Kurama reached behind him and flipped his long hair, pulling out a red rose and tossed it to Yusuke. "All women love flowers. Send that with the invitation...I guarantee she'll come around."

Botan suddenly hopped down the steps, rummaging through her pockets. "Hold on...I have something..." a look of triumph suddenly shone on her face as she found what she was looking for: a small, deep violet colored velvet box. She handed it to Yusuke with a bright smile. "When the time's right...give that to Keiko. Its from Koenma and me."

"Yusuke." Yusuke glanced up at the steps at Hiei. "If all fails...you can just kill him."

Yusuke snickered. "I'll keep that in mind. By the way...what _do_ you eat?"

Hiei ignored him, turning his face away. Kurama started to laugh quietly before reaching behind his back to pull out a second item. It was a large, multicolored lollipop like the ones you would find at a carnival. Hiei's eyes widened slightly before quickly narrowed as he glared at Kurama as if accusing him of hiding such a treasure from him.

Tossing it to Yusuke, Kurama said, "That's what Hiei likes. He eats regular food...that's just his weak spot. Give that to Keiko from him." Yusuke burst into laugher and he swore he saw the slightest spots of pink bloom in the fire demon's cheeks.

"Thanks you guys!" Yusuke said, making his way down the sidewalk. Kurama merely smiled after him. Hiei turned and grumpily muttered "Hn!" Botan smiled, waving wildly and enthusiastically after him.

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed! I was so excited to put Kurama and Hiei in this fic, since I didn't in the first one! Hope you liked them! I don't mean to make Hiei ooc (I love him to death!) but I always thought it would be funny if he had some weak spot for candy and sweets...and those huge lollipops are perfect! I hope Kurama was ok...I dont have much expierence writing about him._


	5. Thursday: Beach Bash!

_Hello everyone! Sorry I took so long to write this...I'm getting lazy...again (ha). Anywho, instead of writing, I've taken up drawing again, which some of my friends will be glad to hear. YUMI - BAKA: I did one of edward elric for you (yes you!) anywho...I reread all my old fanfics...ah man. I wanted to bash my head thru a wall...geeze. "Losing Grip" was especially disturbing caz I depressed (on meds and all) when I wrote it...but its all good now! Yes, I'm hyper and happy! (this could lead to crazy fanfic ideas...beware!)_

DiScLaImEr:  
**me:** I own Yu Yu Hakusho! mwahahaha!  
**hiei:** no you don't  
**me:** _/tosses him a lollipop/_ what was that?  
**hiei:** _/lick lick/_  
**me:** seriously, I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho..._/sigh/_

**

* * *

**

**Seven Days**

Chapter 5: (Thursday) Beach Bash

* * *

Keiko slipped on her sunglasses as she stepped out of the car into the hot sunlight. She turned and smiled at Rokuro, who was loaded down with beach bags. Together, the two made their way down through the sand to a random spot on the empty beach.

"Wow," Rokuro said, setting down the bags and squinting in the sun, "Nobody's here."

"That's because I reserved this entire stretch of beach for only us today." The two jumped and turned to find six people behind them, dropping their own bags down on the sand.

"Can you really do that?" Rokuro asked suspiciously.

Koenma, who had spoken before, nodded. "I can and I did."

Rokuro shook his head, "That really wasn't necessary..."

"Koenma's royalty!" Kuwabara joked, "He can do whatever the hell he wants!"

Rokuro raised his eyebrows. "Royalty?"

Kuwabara stared at Keiko's fiancee like he was an idiot. "Uh, yea. Yusuke is too, now that I think about it..."

Rokuro's jaw dropped. "Yusuke? Yusuke is..._royalty_!" He turned to Keiko and gripped her shoulders. "All this time you've been friends with royalty? Why didn't you say something?"

Keiko brushed his hands off, "I didn't think it was important. Yusuke lost the competition for the crown so its not a big deal, really."

"Crown? So he's not royalty?"

Botan drifted over between the two and explained. "Yusuke's...father was one of three kings. When his father died, there was a shift in power and a huge tournament was held to decide the next king."

Rokuro studied Yusuke from the corner of his eye. "What was the land he was going to rule over?"

"Makai."

"What in the world in Makai?"

"That's just it," Botan said brightly. "It's not from this world–" At that moment, Koenma, who had been about to set up a large red umbrella, "accidently" dropped in, hitting Botan on the head and knocking her unconscious.

"Oops, sorry," Koenma said, not really sounding sorry. Rokuro opened his mouth, but he was cut off by a large beach ball hitting him in the face.

"Oh...sorry," Yusuke said, sounding much like Koenma. "So...who wants to play some water volleyball?" Kurama and Kuwabara nodded and headed down to the water after Yusuke. Koenma dragged Botan down with him and woke her by dunking her in the icy ocean water. Even Hiei slowly headed down after the others.

Keiko grabbed the ball and turned to Rokuro. "Are you coming?"

"Naw," he replied lazily, laying down on a towel in the sun. "I don't want the water to mess up my hair..." Keiko snorted before running down to the water with the others.

The game was a fierce one–Yusuke, Koenma, and Kuwabara vs. Keiko, Botan, and Kurama. Hiei had decided to sit on the sand and watch as the two teams battled it out, all the while making snide comments about Kuwabara not-so-admirable skills. Botan used her ore to smack the ball at Koenma, barely missing his face by inches. She claimed it was an accident, but everyone knew it was revenge for being knocked out by the umbrella. Kurama used his powers to make the seaweed under the other team's feet grow and pull them under every time the ball flew to over to their side. The game finally ended when Yusuke fired his rei gun and blew up the ball.

As the group trudged up back up the beach, an ice cream vender wheeled his cart their way. Hiei, having no idea what this "sugar snow" was, cautiously licked his mint chocolate chip cone. Almost immediately, he shoved the rest of it into his mouth and demanded more, even going as far as to whip out his katana and threaten the poor, confused ice cream man. With Hiei happily eating an entire container of ice cream, the vender quickly fled the beach as the others laughed, licking their own cones.

As the others ate ice cream, Yusuke slipped off to where Rokuro was now sleeping on the beach. Hastily, he buried the man up to his chin in sand before casually tossing a towel overtop of him, hiding him from view.

"Psst! Keiko!"

Keiko turned and looked to find Yusuke hiding behind a very large rock. He motioned her to come over. Glancing over her shoulder, she quietly tip-toed over to where Yusuke was hiding. None of the others noticed her leave; they were all too busy restraining Hiei from hunting down the ice cream man for more "sugar snow".

"What are you doing?" Keiko demanding once she was out of site and earshot of the others.

Yusuke smiled mischievously and pulled out Botan's ore from behind his back. "Wanna ride?"

Keiko stared at him. "Are you serious?" She paused. "Rokuro can't see us flying...he doesn't know about the whole spirit world thing."

"So I've noticed," Yusuke said dryly. Then he brightened, "But don't worry...he's asleep."

Keiko nodded slowly. "And Botan's actually gunna let you do that?"

Yusuke shrugged. "Sure; why not?"

Keiko crossed her arms. "You didn't ask, did you?"

Yusuke twiddled his thumbs innocently. "What she doesn't know can't hurt her, right?"

Keiko opened her mouth to protest, but Yusuke grabbed her arm and dragged her onto the ore behind him.

"Hold on to me tight...unless you wanna to flying." Keiko nodded and wrapped her arms around Yusuke's waist. He smiled smugly, imagining Rokuro's face if he say them now. He kicked off the sandy ground, straight up into the endless blue sky.

"Wow," Keiko said, awe-struck. "Just...wow."

They zoomed up higher, riding just above the clouds, using them as cover to hide them from the world below. Keiko felt a tingling sensation flow through her as her feet lightly dragged across the fluffy white clouds. She felt a sense of freedom, up so high above the world. It was as if she had left her trouble, worries, and anxieties behind her along with the solid ground below.

The sense of lightness left her as Yusuke suddenly went into a nosedive, dropping quickly through the clouds, hurtling down faster and faster toward the deep blue ocean. At the last second, he pulled out of the dive and Keiko finally stopped screaming. Their feet skimmed the top of the water as they rode along, watching small fish jump occasionally above the water.

Yusuke took the ore up again, but not quite as high. They rode just below the expanse of white fluffiness, using it as a shield for the bright sun. Keiko took a deep breath before easing her hands off of Yusuke's waist and reached above her head, grasping a handful of cloud. The cloud spiraled out of her hands as thet dropped down toward the water again, nearer to the beach. Immediately, her hands snapped back to Yusuke waist as they made their way toward the sandy shore.

Their smooth glide down ended when the ore suddenly vanished, sending the two tumbling down into the cold ocean water. When they finally popped their heads up and swam toward the beach, they found everyone roaring with laughter, including Botan, who was twirling her ore around her hand.

"Keiko, are you all rig–" Yusuke cut off as he turned around and stared at Keiko. She had stood up, arms clasped tightly across her chest as she shivered. Her top floated slowly over to him. With a shaky smile, Yusuke lifted it out of the water and offered it to her. Keiko, her face burning, snatched her top and ducked under the water and quickly put it back on.

Yusuke couldn't contain himself any longer– he burst into laugher, doubling over and nearly falling back. Furiously, Keiko splashed him; the cold water entering his mouth and nearly choking him. Yusuke retaliated by splashing back, but Keiko lunged to the side to avoid it. Koenma, Kuwabara, Botan, Kurama, and even Hiei dashed down into the water, joining in the splash war.

* * *

The sun set quickly, darkening the sandy shore and ocean. As the moon began to peek through the clouds, a fire was started and hotdogs roasted. Kuwabara and Keiko filled Rokuro in on what had happened while he had slept in his bed of sand. When dinner was finished, Botan pulled out marshmallows and everyone made smores. This was another sweet treat Hiei was unfamiliar with, but immediately fell in love with. Kuwabara and Yusuke began teasing Hiei about his sweet tooth, which wasn't the smartest idea. The end result of that brilliant idea was molten marshmallows on a few heads, a quick dunk in the ocean to put the flames out of some hair, and a dozen or so priceless photos.

By eleven, the group was exhausted from their beach bash celebration. Yusuke heart soared when Keiko practically ignored Rokuro the entire day, and even chose to sit next to him, rather than her fiancee. Just when they thought the fun was over, Koenma produced a large pile of fireworks. As the fireworks lit up the dark night sky, Kurama gave Yusuke a wink as he dragged Rokuro off and away from Keiko. Taking the hint, Yusuke grabbed Keiko's arm and gently pulled her off to a reclusive spot beyond the vision of the rest of the group.

Taking a deep breath, Yusuke pulled out a dark violet, velvet box and handed it to Keiko.

"What's this?" she asked, studying the box in the bright moonlight.

"A gift," he answered. "Go on...open it."

Keiko gently lifted the lid and took out the treasure inside. Gasping, she dropped the box into the sand. In her hand she held a golden chain necklace. A teardrop shaped jewel dipped down from the chain and sparkled brilliantly in the glow from the moon.

"Its from spirit world," Yusuke explained, lightly taking the necklace from Keiko's hand, "Botan told me it's a very special jewel...it lights up and glows brightest in the light of the moon." He undid the clasp and helped Keiko put it on.

Keiko stared from Yusuke to the jewel and back again. "But...why? Why give this to me?"

Yusuke shrugged. "Why not?"

Keiko sighed and gazed down at the glowing, multi-colored jewel hanging from her neck. Yusuke smiled down at her, patting her shoulder gently as he walked back toward the group.

"Something so beautiful...for some_one_ so beautiful."

Keiko blushed and jogged to catch up to Yusuke. "Yusuke," she whispered softly. He stopped and turned to her. She suddenly leaned forward and pecked him gently on the cheek. "Thank you."

* * *

_Hope yall enjoyed! Only 2 more! (dun dun dun!) Don't forget to review!_


	6. Friday: Wish Upon a Star

_Hey yall. Sorry for the delayed update. I've been really busy lately...school here starts up in a few weeks (damn it!), my cousin's wedding is coming up in a week, I get to give a sermon in church tomorrow (!), and I still haven't gotten any of my friends b-day gifts yet! (don't kill me you guys). Anywho, in lighter news, I've started drawing again, my newest passion: ed and winry from full metal alchemist! I've finally gotten the hang of them...but the coloring...ed's hair is a pain. Geeze._

DiScLaImEr:  
**me:** i'll get this over w/ quickly so you can read...I don't own yu yu hakusho.  
**yusuke: **finally! shedoes something smart for once!  
**me:** well that makes one of us**

* * *

**

Seven Days

Chapter 6: (Friday) Wish Upon a Star

* * *

Keiko sighed and drummed her fingers on the desk, staring down at the massive pile of papers before her. The wedding was tomorrow and she still had so much to work out. To add to her frustration, something had popped up and Rokuro had to leave town for the day, meaning she had all the paper work to do by herself. Keiko leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

A slight knock on her window startled her, sending her tumbling back, hitting the ground hard. Groaning, Keiko stood and rubbed her head. Another knock came from her window. Keiko cautiously walked over and pulled back the curtains. Yusuke stood smiling up at her, his hand full of tiny pebbles. Keiko smiled faintly back and motioned him to come up.

Instead of using the front door like everybody else, Yusuke began climbing up the vines on the side of the building toward her window. Keiko watched in amusement as Yusuke cursed as he fell several times before eventually getting a good foothold and making his way up. Keiko swung the window open and grabbed Yusuke's hand and hauled him in the room.

"You...are an idiot Yusuke."

"Gee, thanks," Yusuke said dryly, brushing himself off. "I thought that way would be faster."

Keiko snorted before turned back to the disaster on her desk. Yusuke followed her, his eyes widening at the sight of the mountain of papers.

"All this is for the wedding?"

"Yes."

"Where's Rokuro? Shouldn't _he_ be helping you?" Yusuke asked, firmly placing his arms across his chest.

"Um...he had some stuff to do...he had to leave town today," Keiko answered, most of her attention on a swaying stack of guest invitations.

"Well it looks like marrying you isn't top priority," Yusuke spat. He eyed the invitations. "You haven't sent those off yet?"

"N-no...but these are, uh...well, most people know about the wedding so I didn't bother to send them off..." Keiko trailed off weakly, her eyes suddenly filling with tears.

Yusuke noticed and quickly softened his voice. "It's ok Keiko–"

"No its not!" she hollered at him. Without warning, she burst into tears and collapsed on the floor. "E-every..thing is a...a d-disaster! I haven't s-sent off the i-invitations, my d-dress hasn't even c-come in yet! I'm s-screwing everything u-up!"

Yusuke calming kneeled down, wrapping his arms around her. "It's all right," he soothed her softly. "Everything will be fine Keiko. You're stressed...you need a break."

"A break!" Keiko squeaked at him. She opened her mouth again, but Yusuke gently placed his finger over it.

"Yes, a break. I can have Kurama and the others take care of all this paper work for you."

Keiko sniffed a few times as she stared up at him. "R-really?"

Yusuke smiled at her, wiping the tears off her cheeks. "Really."

* * *

"Wow! This sure brings back memories!"

Yusuke walked around the roof of Sarayashiki Junior High. Keiko smiled and nodded, walking up slowly beside him.

"Not many memories for you, seeing as you skipped so many times."

"Ha ha," Yusuke said, rolling his eyes. Then a mischievous grin snuck on his face. "The stuff that happened on the roof I remember though."

It was Keiko's turn to roll her eyes. "Puh-leese. The only thing you every did was smoke and flip my skirt..."

"Exactly," Yusuke smirked, his hand on the hem of her skirt.

Keiko's face immediately lit up bright red. As a reflex, she kicked her foot up under Yusuke's chin screaming, "YOU PERVERT!"

Yusuke flew back and hit the ground hard. Keiko quickly rushed to his side, sputtering apologies. Yusuke laughed as his sat up, rubbing his sore chin.

"Yeah...that definitely brings back some memories..."

* * *

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

"Keiko!" Yusuke said, throwing his hands up and nearly dropping his ice cream cone. "I've spent years fighting _demons_! I think I'll live after your kick."

Keiko stuck her nose in the air. "Fine. Whatever. _Excuse _me for _caring_!"

Yusuke shrugged casually. "You're excused."

Keiko chose to ignore that comment, and instead licked her vanilla ice cream cone.

"Hey look!"

Keiko's head immediately snapped up, her eyes following Yusuke's pointing finger. In the distance she saw a river slowly come into view. She shrugged and continued down the dirt road.

"Don't you recognize this place?" Yusuke asked as they walked by the grassy slope that led down to the water's edge.

"Of course I do," Keiko snapped. She eyed the water as it sparkled in the fading light. The dazzling surface danced with the reds and pinks of the setting sun, and Keiko hated to admit it was a beautiful sight. How could such a horrible place be so gorgeous? This was the exact spot where Yusuke had told her he was leaving three years before. The memories tugged at her heart, leaving her chest aching.

"Geeze, it's been awhile," Yusuke said, happily trotting down the slope, oblivious to the horrid memories the spot brought back. He glanced back up at her, smiled, and signaled her to come down with him.

Keiko sighed and carefully made her way down to join him by the water's edge. Within inches of reaching Yusuke, Keiko tripped slightly, sending her ice cream smashing against her shirt.

"Dang it!" She muttered, staring down at the blob on her shirt. She looked up at Yusuke, who seemed about to burst out laughing. "Do you have a napkin?"

Yusuke, obviously thinking it not safe to speak for fear of laughing, merely shook his head. He took a few deep breaths before replying. "You had vanilla ice cream. Your shirt is white. You can't see it."

Keiko stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't see it? He was a guy after all; they weren't exactly the cleanest of people. But he honestly couldn't see it? She glanced down at her shirt, the spot of melted vanilla ice cream standing out as if it were chocolate. She opened her mouth, but Yusuke cut her off.

"I don't have a napkin...but I can help you."

Keiko's instincts told her to run, but her feet were glued to the spot. She knew exactly what Yusuke was up to, but the ice cream stain seemed to have frozen her mind. Her body didn't react until after Yusuke had reached over and gave her a gentle shove, sending her tumbling back into the river.

Keiko immediately jumped up, the icy water seeping into her clothes, chilling her to the bone. As she climbed back onto the slope, she was met with Yusuke practically rolling on the ground laughing so hard. She shivered, her teeth chattering loudly as she kicked Yusuke several times, too frozen to do much else. It didn't help that the sun had now disappeared from the sky, taking with it all the light and warm Keiko needed.

She collapsed to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest, visibly shaking. Yusuke finally stopped laughing as he sat beside her, draping his jacket around her shoulders. The warm, dry coat helped somewhat, but Keiko couldn't stop shaking. Yusuke noticed, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body close to his.

"Y-yusuke!" she managed to sputter. "W-we s-s-shouldn't–"

"Shh," Yusuke whispered in her ear. "You're cold and it's my fault."

Keiko couldn't object to that. Reluctantly relaxed against him, resting her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. _I wish we could stay like this forever..._ Keiko knew the thought was wrong, and as a woman engaged to another man, she shouldn't be having thoughts like that, let alone snuggling against another man as she was. But at the same time, the thought was a comfort and seemed to warm her body. As the night slowly went by, Keiko felt an emotional tug-of-war going on in her heart. Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes as her mind rased with thoughts of things that could have been.

_Yusuke...why did you have to leave?_

* * *

Tiny golden stars glittered above in the dark sky, the moonlight shining down on the slope. A light breeze blew, the grass on the slope swaying against the two laying down and gazing up at the dark heavens above them. Suddenly, a bright blur streaked across the sky, lighting up the night like a firecracker.

Keiko immediately sat up, her eyes following the golden blur. "A shooting star," she murmured softly. She turned to Yusuke beside her. "Make a wish."

"Huh?"

Keiko rolled her eyes as she stood up. "When you see a shooting star, you make a wish."

Yusuke silently sat up and stared at his feet, deep in thought. "What about your wish?"

"I asked you first!"

Yusuke paused. "Keiko?"

"Yeah."

"I can have any wish I want, right?"

Keiko looked thoughtful. "Uh...yeah. It's a wish right?" She smiled at him. "You're my best friend. I'll help you make it come true."

Without another word, Yusuke got to his feet and stood in front of Keiko. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He was amazed Keiko couldn't hear it pounding. "You will?"

Keiko blinked at him. "Y-yeah. You'd do the same for me, right? Aren't you my best friend?"

Yusuke didn't answer. Friend? Was that all he truly was to her? Didn't she know how he felt? Did she not feel the same? Yusuke shook the thoughts out of his head as he gazed down at Keiko, his eyes locked with hers. He took a deep breath.

"I wish...I wish you'd let me kiss you."

Keiko's face seemed to burst into flames. She struggled to find her tongue. "I-I can't–"

"I know!" Yusuke interrupted. "I know you can't...I know I'm just your...friend. But I really wish you'd let me. Just this once."

Keiko opened her mouth to tell him no, but she found her it dry. Why couldn't she say it? He had just said they were only friends, so why did he want to kiss her? Her – a woman engaged to someone else. Instead of rejecting him like she planned, she felt her head nod slightly.

Yusuke's hands slid down from her shoulders to her waist, wrapping her up and drawing her nearer to him. As his face drew closer to hers, her head was spinning. She knew she should pull away, run far away, away from all this confusion. But at the same time, she wanted to stay, knowing this is what she wanted. Before she could think anymore, Yusuke's lips pressed softly against her, scattering all thoughts out of her mind.

Keiko felt a soft, sweet pain in her heart when Yusuke kissed her. She wanted to push him away, but her body didn't obey her. She didn't want to let him kiss her. She didn't want to wrap her arms around his neck. She didn't want to kiss him back.

But she did.

The pain inside her grew, coursing through her body. The longer this kiss went on, the more it hurt, the more it spread through her. Her mind screamed at her to stop and cursed at her for forgetting her fiancee, but her body refused to acknowledge her mind's wishes, instead taking on a mind of its own, causing pain and pleasure at the same time. Was it possible that her body knew something she didn't? Could her body possibly be doing what she very deeply wanted to do?

No.

Her mind finally won over her body, and Keiko gently pushed Yusuke away from her. She stepped back away from him, but the pain in her chest didn't go away. Instead, it pulsed harder, bringing tears to her eyes. Why did it hurt so? She looked over at Yusuke, who seemed to be having an emotional struggle of his own. Carefully, she drew a shaky breath.

"Yusuke. I...I have a wish too."

Yusuke looked over at her, feeling a pang of guilt at the tear that slowly rolled down her cheek.

"I...I wish for you to tell me how you feel."

Yusuke's eyes widened. Opening his mouth, he found the words caught in his throat. Why couldn't he say it? Three words. That's all it took. But...why were they so hard to say?

Keiko took another deep breath. "What am I to you?"

Yusuke's gaze met hers, a sinking feeling rising in him as he felt the words rising up in his throat. "I...you're my...my friend. My best friend."

His body was frozen to the spot and could only watch as the tears began to stream down her face as she turned and ran from him, leaving him in the dark night, the stars glittering down mockingly at him.

* * *

_please dont hate me. remember, there's still one chapter left! Ok, this was kinda sad, but I was in an emotional whirlwind myself when I wrote this...my mood kinda reflects my writing...I guess you could say I kinda depressed. Please review and I'll try and update the last chapter as soon as I can. I really want it to be perfect, so I have to be in the perfect mood to write it...I dunno how long it'll take. I'll try to finish before the end of this week! hope you enjoyed._


	7. Saturday: In Dreams

**/AN/** wow...how exciting is this? The big finale of this fanfic! Anywho, I hope yall enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! But before you read there are a few things I need to say. First: if you have not seen the last episode of Yu Yu Hakusho, **DO IT**! It is soooo good!Second: **THANK YOU ALL SOOOO MUCH!** I was so surprised at all the reviews this story recieved! Thank you all so much for reviewing--it means so much! I love you all! (in an author to reader kinda way) Anywho, now onto the fic! Please read and enjoy and don't forget to review pretty please!**

* * *

Seven Days**

Chapter 7: (Saturday) In Dreams

* * *

_Up 'til now, how many times I've tried  
to tell you please take care of yourself,  
Then with tear-stained eyes,  
I sadly say goodbye,  
As I waved and wished you farewell,  
Then I think of how,  
how much longer I must wait,  
I look inside myself,  
and feel something new,  
I want to stop -- and grow up a bit._

* * *

"You are a complete idiot."

"Did you get the paper work done last night?"

"Yusuke, you're avoiding the point."

"What's the point?"

"That you are a friggin moron!"

Yusuke eyed Botan coolly across the room from the comfort of his bed. After the little happening the night before, he had gone home and went straight to sleep. He was peaceful and happy until the blue-haired fiend had flown through his window at the crack of dawn, waking him from his slumber. For two hours straight she had been lecturing him on the finer points of telling the truth and giving him advice on how to solve his dilemma, making sure to remind him of what an idiot he was every other sentence.

Botan sighed and flopped down on the side of his bed. "Yusuke...why did you say that to Keiko?"

Yusuke avoided her gaze. "Because I'm her friend–"

"LIAR!"

Yusuke jumped as Botan slammed her hands down on the bed. Instantly, her face softened.

"Yusuke...its true you're her friend...but you're also so much more." She searched his eyes for some glimmer of hope, but gave up when she found none. Carelessly, she tossed an envelope down on his lap.

"What's this?" He asked, cautiously tearing the seal. His heart sank when he pulled the silvery wedding invitation out. Without even opening it, Yusuke flung it like a frisbee across the room, sending it sailing into the trash can.

"Yusuke!" Botan scolded, quickly retrieving the paper. "You could at least read it..."

"I know what it says!" Yusuke snapped. "She wants me to go to her damn wedding and watch her be happily married to that bastard!"

Botan remained silent and Yusuke thought he saw a tear roll down her cheek. "She wrote something on the bottom. She said she really wants you to come...it would mean so much to her if you did."

Yusuke snorted. "Why? So she can rub it in my face? So she can prove once and for all that she was right and I was wrong? That if I hadn't left her, none of this would've happened!" Yusuke lowered his head and stared at his shaking hands. He couldn't help but think what if he hadn't left...would that be his name on the invitation next to Keiko's?

"If you really feel that way," Botan's voice brought him back to reality. "Then you should tell her."

"I've already told her how I feel!"

"You can lie to me Yusuke," Botan said slowly, making her way toward the door, "You can even lie to Keiko...but you can't lie to yourself."

* * *

"Miss uh...Keiko!" 

"Come in," Keiko replied, getting ready to slip on her wedding gown and see how it looked. The door creaked open and a small girl with golden curls and a freckled nose entered. She stared at Keiko for a moment, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. "There's uh...someone at the...uh door to uh...see ya..."

Keiko sighed. "Tell them I'll be there in a moment." The small girl nodded, her curls bouncing as she scurried from the room. Keiko quickly slipped on a pair of jeans and a shirt before following the small girl. _Who is it? _She wondered on her way to the door. _The wedding isn't until this evening..._

"Uh...hi."

Keiko stopped dead on the top of the stairs. She gaped in horror at the person who stood at the bottom of the same set of steps. It was the ex-spirit detective and ex-boyfriend, the half demon who abandoned her three years ago, the breaker of her heart and delinquent for life, Yusuke Urameshi.

"What do..._you_ want?" Keiko was amazed at the steadiness and coldness in her voice.

Yusuke seemed unfazed. "For this." He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket. The wedding invitation.

"So?"

"I'm RSVP-ing...I'm telling you...I'm not going to be there."

"What a surprise," Keiko said sarcastically, turning to go back inside.

"Wait! That's not the whole reason why I'm here."

Keiko whirled around to face him, tears already leaping into her eyes. "What! Here to finish the job! Was stealing that kiss not enough for you!"

Yusuke gave her a sad look before sitting himself down on the steps. "Last night...wasn't the best...or smartest thing that I've ever done."

Keiko snorted, crossing her arms and glaring down at him.

"But at the same time...it was." Yusuke paused and stood up again, walking up the steps to stand level with Keiko, whose icy gaze followed him the entire way. "Kissing you wasn't the problem. That was the smart choice I made." He raised his hand to silence Keiko as she opened her mouth to protest. "My mistake was not returning you wish...like you had for me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your wish...was for me to tell you how I feel about you right?"

Keiko nodded slowly, wondering what he was up to.

"And I didn't do it. I'm sorry, but I don't consider myself your friend...I never did. That's why I can't go to your wedding. And...I know this sounds selfish, but please let me tell you one last thing before you go."

Keiko's mind screamed to slap him or just go inside, leaving the jerk. Give him another chance? Ha! Like he deserved it! But still, she felt a slight tug in her chest to hear him out. Reluctantly, Keiko nodded again.

Yusuke offered her a small, sad smile. "First...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was dishonest with you last night...You helped me grant my wish...now I'm going to grant your wish. No more lies...I'm going to be completely and totally honest with you." He took a deep breath. "Keiko, I love you. I know it may not seem like it, but I do. I know you probably despise me right now...but I have to tell you. Up until yesterday, I thought you knew how I felt. Every time I see you...I get this weird feeling deep in the pit of my stomach that grows every time I see you. I wasn't sure what this feeling was and what it meant until I kissed you. It's the feeling of love, Keiko. My love for you."

Keiko stared at Yusuke, unaware that the tears had begun to leak out of her eyes. She wanted him to stop but at the same time she wanted to hear more. The sweet pain that she had felt during their kiss was back, stronger than ever. She struggled to keep her composure as Yusuke continued.

"I always thought you felt the same for me...but I understand how you could find someone else. Normally, I just beat the shit outta the guy but I just can't...if this is what you want, then fine. If you want to marry this Rokuro guy...if you want to spend the rest of your life with him...then do it. If that's what you want, then I won't stop you." With that, Yusuke grasped her shoulder and her gave Keiko a breathtaking but short kiss. When he pulled away, he turned and went down the steps.

"W-why?" Keiko heard herself say.

Yusuke stopped, his hands shoved deep in his jacket pockets. Turning slowly, he flashed her his usual lopsided smile. "To make you happy."

* * *

Keiko took a deep breath, tightening her shaking hands on the bouquet of red roses. The large white doors loomed before her, almost threateningly. She closed her eyes and let out a squeal as she felt a hand on her arm. Opening her eyes, she saw it was her father. 

"Ready honey?" her dad asked, taking her shaking arm. He glanced down at his watch. "Almost time." There was something in his voice that put Keiko on edge. She had expected him to sound happy or proud, but he seemed sad, even depressed.

"Daddy," she started, turning her watery brown eyes to him. "Do you think I'm making a mistake?"

Her father offered her a sad smile. "If this is what you want, I won't stop you." Keiko stiffened at the words. They were the same as what Yusuke had said. Her father's voice snapped her back to reality.

"I think you should be asking yourself if you're making a mistake."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Her father patted her arm gently. "Is this what you want? Will marrying Rokuro make you happy? I only want what's best for you...and if you doubt yourself at all..."

Keiko nodded in understanding. "But dad...what if I'm not sure...what if..."

Her father suddenly reached out and pulled her into a tight hug. "You're a smart girl Keiko. Better than any daughter any father could have hoped for. I'm sure you can figure anything out."

"That's just it," Keiko said, pulling away slightly. "I've been thinking about it all day–"

Her father smiled. "That's just it. You have to think with your heart, not your head."

Keiko studied him a moment longer before leaping back into his arms, hugging him fiercely. "Thank you daddy," she whispered softly in his ear, finally understanding.

* * *

The huge double white doors opened and the organ began to play. The massive amount of guest all turned their head eagerly toward the opened door before gasping slightly. Mr. Yukimura stepped out into the bright church, looking nice in his white tuxedo. He walked quickly up the isle that was littered with tiny red rose petals to the alter where an anxious group of people stood in waiting. He bounded up the small rise of steps to where a plump priest eyed him curiously. Rokuro, dressed in a dark black tux with a blood red rose pinned to his suit, gave his future father-in-law a questioning look. Mr. Yukimura gave him a sour smile before turning to the audience. As he cleared his throat, the organ abruptly stopped its noise making and the crowd grew deathly quiet. 

"Hello everyone," Mr. Yukimura said almost shyly. "I know all of you came here to witness the marriage of this young man," he pointed roughly to Rokuro, "to Keiko, my wonderful, beautiful, brilliant, kind, sweet–" Someone in the audience coughed loudly. Mr. Yukimura shot that particular red head a dark look before continuing. "...uh yes. My daughter Keiko. She and I talked a short while ago and she realized that this was a complete mistake. I'm sorry to tell you there will be no wedding." Gasps raced throughout the crowd.

"What the hell are you saying!" Rokuro snarled, grasping Mr. Yukimura's collar and lifting him up in the air. "If you don't bring Keiko to me, I'm gunna–"

"Are all you humans complete scum?"

Rokuro froze, fear consuming his eyes as he stared at the sharp blade inches away from his throat.

"Put the man down Rokuro," Kurama said calming, standing up from his seat near the back of the crowd. Rokuro gazed uneasily at the short fire youkai with the katana pointed at his throat before gently setting down Mr. Yukimura, who immediately collapsed to his knees. In the blink of an eye, the redhead was beside him, helping the older man back to his feet.

"You too Hiei," Kurama ordered, "put your weapon away."

Hiei glared at the disgusting excuse for a human before him. "Why don't I just kill the bastard."

Rokuro whimpered in fear, his eyes sweeping over to Kurama, begging him for help.

"Because scum like him aren't worth it," Kurama replied sharply, his eyes holding no pity as he glared at Rokuro. With a sigh, Hiei reluctantly sheathed his sword, but not without slightly grazing the human's neck, leaving a thin line that slowly oozed out a drop of blood. Rokuro fell to his knees, his hands grasping his neck and his body shaking violently from fear.

"Did you think we were all idiots?" Kurama continued, his voice dripping with malice. "The reason why you left town yesterday was to go see your _other_ fiancee in another city." The crowd gasped again.

Botan appeared out of nowhere and gave Mr. Yukimura a pat on the back before quickly changing the subject. "Well you did a great job raising your daughter, Mr. Yukimura."

Kurama smiled and nodded in agreement as he began toward the exit with Hiei. "Come on Botan," he said, gesturing her to follow him. She nodded and turned to the cowering Rokuro. Then she gave him a hard kick, causing yet another gasp to come from the audience. She smirked down at him.

"I've wanted to do that for the longest time!"

* * *

Yusuke yawned and stretched out on the grassy slope, feeling the tickling sensation from the grass as it swayed against him from the wind. As he stared up at the darkening sky he couldn't help but think about a certain brunette girl. He closed his eyes as the pain in his chest grew. His heart felt full, yet empty. He was glad that Keiko was happy with her choice, but it also pained him to think about her happiness being shared with filth such as Rokuro. 

"Well...I guess I'm happy...as long as she's happy," he mused aloud.

"That's good to know."

Yusuke's eyes snapped open to find Keiko leaning over him, a playful smile on her face.

"K-Keiko!"

She giggled as she offered her hand and pulled him to his feet. "Who else?"

Yusuke shook his head, telling himself this was all a dream. "What about your wedding? Where's that basta– I mean...Rokuro."

Keiko shrugged. "Him? Who cares."

That proved it: Yusuke was dreaming.

"All right...sure. Why don't you care, dream-Keiko?"

Keiko blinked. Dream-Keiko? What was he talking about? "Because he lied. And this is not a dream Yusuke."

"Right," Yusuke said, rolling his eyes. "He lied. Took ya long enough to figure that one out."

"Yeah...well the point is I figured it out right?"

Yusuke nodded. "Fair enough...in a way. What'd he lie about?"

"You," Keiko answered simply. "He told me you didn't love me. And you do...and I love you too Yusuke."

The evidence that this was a dream was beginning to pile up. Yusuke gazed down at Keiko doubtfully. A gently breeze sent a stray hair fluttering across her face, and her bright brown eyes stared intently back at him. Why had he never noticed how dazzling her eyes were?

"Ok...I know this is a dream," Yusuke finally managed to say, despite the pain in his chest that seemed to double at his words.

Keiko sighed in exasperation. "This is _not _a dream!"

Yusuke looked down at Keiko and gave her a smirk. "Oh really? Prove it."

Keiko returned the smirk and stepped close to Yusuke, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "Could I do this in a dream?"

Yusuke looked thoughtful as his arms snaked around her waist. "Maybe."

Keiko ran her hands up to the back of Yusuke's head and gently brought his face down mere inches away from hers. "Could I do this in a dream?" she breathed softly.

"Maybe," Yusuke replied, closing the gap between them. As his lips met Keiko's, the pain that lingered in Yusuke's chest seemed to explode in him sending a shower of pleasure through him. The kiss was abruptly broken when he felt Keiko's hands on his chest give him a slight push back, sending him tumbling into the cold river behind him.

As he broke the surface, Keiko smirked down triumphantly at him. "Could I do _that_ in a dream?"

Yusuke clambered up onto the dry land and shook himself off, showering Keiko with water as he did so. "Ok...I guess you proved your point."

Keiko gave him a curt little nod. "Took ya long enough to figure that one out," she said in a mocking voice. They both laughed and collapsed onto the grass. They stared up at the sky as it steadily darkened from violet to deep black and the stars appeared, twinkling down merrily at them.

"Ow!" Keiko exclaimed, abruptly sitting up, clasping her chest. Yusuke sat up next to her, a mysterious look in his eyes. Keiko reached into her shirt and pulled out the hot, glowing moonstone necklace Yusuke had given her two days earlier.

"What's wrong?"

"It's hot!" Keiko said, untying it from around her neck. She quickly flung it on the ground as it pulsed and glowed brighter. "Oh my god! Yusuke, it's melting!" Beads of liquid from the gem began rolling off, and the stone grew smaller and smaller until a small pearl sized piece was left. After staring at it for a few minutes, Keiko cautiously reached out and picked it up. To her surprise, it was attached to a silver ring. She swung her gaze up to meet Yusuke, to had a smile on his face. It took a moment for the realization to sink in.

"Yusuke!" Keiko exclaimed. "Is this..."

Yusuke's smile broadened. "Maybe," he said playfully. Gently, he took it and slid it on her finger. "Well?" he asked. "Do you except? I told you I'd keep my promise from three years ago."

Keiko remained silent, a pained look on her face. An uneasy silence settled over them, leaving Yusuke feeling extremely awkward. From the look on her face and the awkward silence, he had gotten his answer. He took a deep breath as he grabbed her hand to remove the ring. "So I guess...that's a no."

Keiko suddenly yanked her hand away and pressed her lips to Yusuke's. She pulled away and grinned at him. "In your dreams!"

**FOREVER FORNEVER**


End file.
